Retained earnings is the accumulated portion of net income that is not distributed to shareholders. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc's retained earnings for the quarter that ended in Sep. 2018 was $2,542 Mil.

* All numbers are in millions except for per share data and ratio. All numbers are in their local exchange's currency.

* Premium members only.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc Annual Data

Dec08

Dec09

Dec10

Dec11

Dec12

Dec13

Dec14

Dec15

Dec16

Dec17

Retained Earnings

1,276.90

1,722.27

2,197.87

2,220.81

2,397.06

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc Quarterly Data

Dec13

Mar14

Jun14

Sep14

Dec14

Mar15

Jun15

Sep15

Dec15

Mar16

Jun16

Sep16

Dec16

Mar17

Jun17

Sep17

Dec17

Mar18

Jun18

Sep18

Retained Earnings

2,353.27

2,397.06

2,456.51

2,503.39

2,541.60

Calculation

Retained Earnings is the accumulated portion of net income that is not distributed to shareholders. Because the net income was not distributed to shareholders, shareholders' equity is increased by the same amount.

Of course, if a company loses, it is called retained losses, or accumulated losses.

Explanation

Historically profitable companies sometimes have negative retained earnings. This is because they have cumulatively paid out more to shareholders than they reported in profits.

For example, in 2011, Microsoft had negative retained earnings. This does not mean the company lost more money than it made over the years. It just means it paid out more money than it earned.

If a company has negative retained earnings, investors should check the 10-year financial results. They should not assume that negative retained earnings prove a company has generally lost money in the past.

Of course, many companies with negative retained earnings have indeed lost money in the past.

Retained Earnings: Warren Buffett's Secret.

One of the most important indicators of durable competitive advantage. Net earnings can be paid out as dividends, used to buy back shares or retained for growth.

If the company loses more than it has accumulated, retained earnings is negative.

If a company isn't adding to its retained earnings, it isn't growing its net worth.

Rate of growth of retained earnings is good indicator whether it's benefiting from a competitive advantage.

Microsoft is negative because it chose to buyback stock and pay dividends.

The more earnings retained, the faster it grows and increases growth rate for future earnings.

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